Guess what, the 16-4-4 Minnesota Wild finally sit atop the NHL standings, after their weekend OT victory, over the Nashville Predators, notched them their 36th point of the season. Saturday’s win also allowed Kirill Kaprizov & crew to catch the red-hot Winnipeg Jets, who have had the highest point total in the league all season.
If the Wild are going to add more onto their league high point total tonight, and in the foreseeable future, they’ll have to do it without two of their best players, one on each side of the ice. This, after placing both Jonas Brodin (upper body) and Mats Zuccarello (lower-body) on injured reserve, the latter on long-term IR.
Minnesota Wild recall Liam Ohgren and Jesper Wallstedt, to replace Jonas Brodin and Mats Zuccarello
Forward Jakub Lauko (lower body) was also placed on injured reserve. In corresponding moves, the Wild have recalled top prospects Liam Ohgren (forward) and Jesper Wallstedt (goalie).
Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has recalled forward Liam Öhgren and goaltender Jesper Wallstedt from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team also placed forward Mats Zuccarello on Long-Term Injured Reserve and defenseman Jonas Brodin and forward Jakub Lauko on Injured Reserve.
Minnesota Wild PR
Mats Zuccarello (16 GP, 14 PTS) hasn’t played since November 14, when he took a hard shot to his groin area, that required surgery. Jonas Brodin (19 GP, 8 PTS) last played on November 25, before suffering his upper body injury.
Liam Ohgren has played 8 games this season with the Minnesota Wild. The 2022 No. 19 overall pick has 0 points he’s a -2 in goal differential (9:53 TOI). In 8 games with the Iowa Wild, Ohgren has looked much more like his top prospect self, scoring 5 goals (6 points). Still, he is a -3 down in Iowa.
Jesper Wallstedt was supposed to spend most of his season with the NHL Wild, but a hot start by Filip Gustavsson meant he couldn’t get on the ice. At Iowa, Wallstedt hasn’t been very good, posting a 0.860 save %, while allowing 42 goals in just 10 games (4.20 GAA). Nonetheless, the 2021 No. 20 overall pick is the top goalie prospect in the NHL.
On Tuesday, the Wild will hit the ice again, in St. Paul. They are -135 favorites vs a good 13-7-3 Vancouver Canucks team that has a chance to cut two points out of their 7-point deficit in the Western Conference by beating Minnesota at the Xcel Energy Center tonight. The Wild have actually played worse at home so far this season (6-3-1) than on the road (10-1-3).
